Thursday, 19 March 2015

USE OF FACEBOOK CTA BUTTONS FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Using a Call to Action (CTA) in your Facebook posts is always a good idea. A strong CTA can make the difference between a post getting tons of traction, and sitting and collecting dust.

The good news is that Facebook has now given marketers a way to include a CTA on their actual Page (not to be confused with CTA buttons for ads, or CTA buttons within organic posts). Located at the top of the Page next to ‘Like’ and ‘Message’, the CTA buttons that are currently available include:

Book Now

Contact Us

Use App

Play Game

Shop Now

Sign Up

Watch Video

Most Page owners in the US should now have access to this feature. It will continue to roll out to Page owners worldwide over the next year. To see if you have access to this feature, simply go to your Page and see if there’s a ‘Create Call-to-Action’ button.

Adding the button to your Page is simple: Click the Create CTA link, then choose which type of button you’d like to add (Book Now, Shop Now, etc.). You then have the option to enter the URL you’d like to direct visitors to. You can select a regular URL, as well as a mobile one.

Once you’ve clicked ‘Next’, you’ll be given the option to select a destination for both iPhone/iPad and Android users. If you’re sending people to a product page or opt-in form, these URL’s will generally be the same. If you’re directing users to a mobile app however, this is an extremely useful feature.

facebook-ctaView How Many Times Your CTA Button Has Been Clicked

Once you’ve set up your button, you’ll likely want to track how well it’s performing. There are two ways you can access this data:

Simply hover over your CTA button, then over ‘See Insights’

Go to the ‘This Week’ section on the right side of your Page, and look at ‘CTA clicks’

Data will be shown for the past 7 days, so there may be a time delay between setting up your button and having access to up-to-date stats.

Keep in mind that different CTA buttons will likely perform differently depending on your industry and audience. For instance, ‘Sign Up’ buttons likely won’t perform the same for an e-commerce site as they would for a content-based site.

How To Use Facebook’s CTA Buttons For Business

It can take time for business owners to see the value in any new marketing strategy. In watching how businesses have been using the buttons over the past month or so, I’ve put together four strategies you can use to make the most of the buttons for your own business.

1. Prompt your fans to click the button.

While the CTA buttons are a great add-on feature, your fans are unlikely to notice it without a gentle nudge from you. Incorporating the button into your cover photo design – for instance, using an arrow or other visual cues – can help draw your fans’ attention to the button. Be sure to use colors that help your button stand out against the backdrop of your cover photo.

2. Make sure it aligns with the goals of your Page.

Businesses in different industries may have different goals for their social media efforts. For instance, if your top priority in using Facebook is to generate leads, using the Book Now or Contact Us buttons may most closely align with your goals. On the other hand, if you’re primarily looking to increase email list signups, using the ‘Sign Up’ button will be most fitting. This is simplified of course; the point is to ensure you use the button in a way that helps you achieve your social media marketing and business goals.

3. Try to minimize actions required to avoid leaks.

A best practice for digital marketing in general – that applies here as well – is to require only the minimum number of actions when asking your audience to do something. Every time you add an extra page to the process, you risk ‘leaks’: someone falling out of your funnel. To avoid this situation, link your CTA button to only one page. For instance, if you’re using the ‘Sign Up’ button, link directly to your opt-in page – NOT to a landing page that extols the virtues of joining your list.

4. Test a variety of buttons.

As mentioned previously, how well each button performs will depend on your business objectives, industry and audience. For this reason, it’s important to test out different buttons for at least a week to see which ones perform best. Continue testing the buttons over time to keep in line with changes to your audience or goals.

Final Thoughts

It’s interesting to note that Facebook will be monitoring these links to ensure they comply with Facebook’s guidelines. In an interview with VentureBeat, a Facebook spokesperson stated: “We use the same system as we use for tracking everything else on the site – with our Site Integrity efforts. Additionally people can report the Page where we will monitor by the same channels.”

While this is a novel new feature, I have my doubts that Facebook’s CTA buttons will have a significant impact on Page engagement, or website referrals or conversions. We know that the percentage of fans who actually visit a Page after liking it is very small; so enticing them to click it when they first like your Page is key. You may never get the chance again!